Insights

Glimpse a universe of opportunity at Baillie Gifford’s Disruption Week in November 2023.

Many investors are impatient, but change takes time – the best performance could come to those who wait.

Pacific Horizon Investment Trust manager Roderick Snell gives updates on the portfolio and investing in Asia.

Stock market falls can create rich pickings for the optimistic investor.

Four ways to consider growth companies’ ability to deal with rising prices.

How the group gives its creatives the freedom to spark love-it-hate-it reactions.

What companies get wrong when trying to get the best out of their workers.

Having a varied portfolio allows the trust to navigate volatile periods and focus on the long term.

Companies reinvesting profits to supply outperformance over decades are the market’s unsung heroes.

Opportunities in the gloom, radical change, inflation resilience and more from our fund teams.

It’s not about growth or value. It’s about the few companies that drive stock market returns.

A focus on growth and innovation has led to exciting finds such as Tesla and Ocado.

Lindsey Knight and Scott Lothian discuss the new fund and why it brings opportunities for strong, stable returns.

Douglas Brodie discusses investing in small companies, recent performance amid volatility and opportunities.

In volatile times, focusing on the fundamental long-term opportunities of our holdings is key.

Gary Robinson, co-manager of the US Growth Trust, explains why we stay focused on fundamentals in uncertain times.

The Positive Change Team’s impact report, covering our activity and plans for the future.

Jon Henry discusses changes to the portfolio, the impact of inflation and optimism in periods of volatility.

Growth investing means staying with promising firms. Despite recent underperformance, we’ll continue to do so.

The Positive Change Team’s latest impact report, covering our activity over the last five years and plans for the future.

Despite new regulations, now may be the best time to pounce and hold select Chinese stocks.

How the 18th-century mathematician lost a fortune to groupthink.

How does the BG Managed Fund view prospects, ESG and regulation in relation to Emerging Markets?

In volatile markets, our investment trust managers focus on being on the right side of structural change.

Growth stocks have crashed down to earth. Has growth had its day or will it come back stronger?

Why new ideas will continue to spur on wealth and wellbeing.

Infinite progress, Isaac Newton’s folly, the Year of the Tiger and more from our fund teams.

Praveen Kumar, investment manager of Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon PLC gives an update on the performance of Shin Nippon over the past year and shares the team’s views on the long-term outlook for Japanese smaller companies.

Scottish Mortgage’s departing joint manager James Anderson talks to its deputy Lawrence Burns.

Responsible business practices are fundamental to delivering sustainable long-term growth and addressing global challenges.

Responsible business practices are fundamental to delivering sustainable long-term growth and addressing global challenges.

The Scottish American Investment Company share an update on performance and ESG.

Europe’s perceptual shift, virtual communities, workers’ rights and more from our fund teams.

One says “growth”. The other says “value”. But that’s not what investors should be focusing on.

James Budden on holding your nerve through short-term setbacks and supporting exceptional growth companies.

Good investing takes quick reactions as well as a long-term vision.

Toby Ross and Diane Esson reflect on the past three years of the Responsible Global Equity Income Fund.

Kirsty Gibson answers the key questions investors are asking of the Managed Fund’s US champions.

Equity investing in times of catastrophic change.

New opportunities for income investors seeking growth and steady payouts.

Moritz Sitte, co-manager of the Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust, gives an update on investment philosophy, portfolio activity and positioning, and outlook.

The firms doing pioneering work to produce renewable energy and eco-friendlier transport.

Changing the world starts with investing in companies addressing global challenges.

Manager Matthew Brett offers six predictions for the Baillie Gifford Japan Trust’s fifth decade.

Racehorse dividends, sand avalanches, blossoming eco efforts and more from our fund teams.

Three lessons learned over the High Yield Bond Fund’s 20 years of debt investing.

Willingness to change gives Chinese firms an innovation advantage.

Good investing takes quick reactions as well as a long-term vision.

Inflationary pressures and ESG opportunities are among matters on the fund managers’ minds.

Can plant-based foods save the planet? Investment manager Brian Lum explores changing attitudes.

The under-25s discuss their appetite for social shopping apps and home-grown cosmetics brands.

Companies benefiting from explosive change brought on by the pandemic.

Why using renewables to harvest the gas may be the best way for some industries to reach net zero.

Gojo’s founder explains his plan to serve 100 million of the world’s poorest people.

Why cyclical stocks such as Ryanair and Rio Tinto are comeback kings.

Decarbonisation and baby boomer spending are set to drive asset prices over the years ahead.

Distrust of ESG metrics, AI health breakthroughs, comeback king stocks and more from our trusts.

Behavioural shifts caused by Covid prompt changes to Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust’s portfolio.

Monks Manager Spencer Adair looks beyond the noise of recent months to the longer term.

Will the climate crisis response alter asset class returns? The Multi Asset Team investigates.

Digitising China, lessons from Venice, picking cultural outliers, and more from our fund teams.

Investment manager Milena Mileva gives an update on the philosophy, positioning and activity of the Baillie Gifford UK Growth Trust portfolio.

Find out why small companies are one of the richest hunting grounds for long-term growth investors.

The Managed Fund was launched in 1987, so has weathered plenty of crises before.

Praveen Kumar, manager of the Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon Investment Trust, discusses how to approach high-growth investing in a country that has a low-growth economy, the economy in question being that of Japan. Praveen explains that as fundamentally bottom-up, long-term stock pickers, we try to ignore short-term trends and predictions, and focus on finding smaller cap Japanese companies with huge potential over the long term.

Sophie Earnshaw, co-manager of the Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust, gives an update on the philosophy, positioning and performance of the portfolio since Baillie Gifford took over management of the trust in September 2020.

Featuring the news and views of the teams involved in running our funds.

Spencer Adair, newly appointed co-manager of the Monks Investment Trust, explains why the investment approach will not change. He sheds light on the past and current positioning of the portfolio, the fundamental strategy of the team involved, and the core philosophy of Monks that has been largely unchanged throughout the trust’s history.

Investment Specialist Thomas Patchett is joined by Matthew Brett, Investment Manager of the Japanese Fund and Japan Trust, to discuss the last twelve months and the positioning and performance of the fund by exploring some of the main themes coming through in the portfolio.

We call our methodology long-term income, not short-term yield. In this paper we share our experience of picking stocks using this growth-focused approach. We explain why we think the best is yet to come for this approach. And we highlight three simple questions we ask of any company when picking stocks for our income-growth portfolio.

Richard Lander of Citywire hosts a webinar on the European Growth Trust and is joined by Stephen Paice, co-manager of the trust, who aims to answer the question: Are you investing in the right Europe?

Praveen Kumar, investment manager of Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon PLC gives an update on the performance of Shin Nippon over the past year and shares the team’s views on the long-term outlook for Japanese smaller companies.

The year 2020 felt somewhat surreal for UK investors. Not only was our local economy hit hard by the pandemic, but whole sectors of the stock market came under pressure, including many high-profile firms.

Praveen Kumar, manager of Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon, sees Covid-19’s acceleration of digital trends in Japan – changes in both corporate and consumer behaviour – persisting beyond the pandemic.

What was meant to be a two-year apprenticeship turned into a transformative career. Charles Plowden, manager of The Monks Investment Trust, tells Colin Donald why he’s retiring from Baillie Gifford on a high.

Dawn Murdoch, client service manager, speaks to the chair of Baillie Gifford’s China Product Group Ben Buckler. Buckler sheds some light on what he thinks are the most exciting aspects of China today, and how we balance the opportunities and the risks moving forward.

Investment Manager Toby Ross gives an update on The Scottish American Investment Company P.L.C.

Featuring the news and views of the teams involved in running our funds.

Fraser Thomson, client director, talks to Gary Robinson, co-manager of the US Growth Trust, and Kirsty Gibson, a key-decision maker and soon-to-be co-manager. The discussion centres around the recent investment environment and our thoughts for the future, all in the context of the investment approach employed by the trust.

In this webinar recording, US Equity strategy specialist Ben James talks to all four key decision makers of the American Fund portfolio, Tom Slater, Kirsty Gibson, Gary Robinson and Dave Bujnowski. The team explore the thought processes that have helped them navigate the challenge of maintaining a 5-10 year investment horizon during what has been a year of rapid change, followed by questions from attendees.

Lucy Haddow, product specialist, speaks to investment managers Steven Hay and Iain McCombie about the Managed Fund, as they reflect on 2020 and look forward to what’s to come.

This document looks at the contribution of the Positive Change portfolio to society through its business practices and focuses on our approach to engagement with the companies owned on behalf of our clients.

Stephen Paice, investment manager of the Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust plc, gives an update on investment philosophy, performance, portfolio positioning and outlook.

Douglas Brodie, investment manager of the Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust, reflects on the past year, gives some insight into the current positioning of the portfolio and sheds some light on what could be some exciting opportunities in the future.

With hits like Warhammer, this gaming company inspires a sense of community which brings huge growth potential

Few things matter more to an investor than understanding and anticipating change. As we celebrate 15 years of Global Alpha, we share some thoughts on how the portfolio, our process and the team have developed over time.

Traditions die hard in Japan, but a crisis often sparks accelerated change and innovation. Praveen Kumar, manager of Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon and deputy manager of the Baillie Gifford Japan Trust, talks about the upstarts making inroads.

Prevented from criss-crossing the globe in search of exciting young companies, Douglas Brodie, manager of Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust, reflects on life under lockdown.

After navigating the treacherous waters of the dividend crisis James Dow, joint manager of SAINTS, says it’s time to look east for income opportunities.

Gary Robinson, Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust joint manager, on how Shopify conquered the web.

How does a company de-age? Jared Anderson thinks about how Japanese companies are changing their working practices to meet modern expectations.

The starting point for investing in biotechs is science that is credible, scalable and differentiated. But that on its own does not guarantee a commercially successful business. The Health Innovation Team share their approach to investing in biotech at a time when the pace of innovation is exploding and the possibilities are endless.

Baillie Gifford’s Charles Plowden, manager of the Monks Investment Trust, hails a firm whose ambitions match the vastness of the subcontinent of India.

There’s no such thing as a big European tech platform, or is there? Chris Davies explores the rise of European platform businesses, questioning whether they are coming of age.

Sophie Earnshaw and Roderick Snell, joint managers of the new Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust, discuss some of their favourite Chinese firms.

China has defied recession in 2020, but where to now? Investment manager Roderick Snell anticipates big things ahead.

James Anderson, joint manager of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, looks back on how, amid all the coronavirus disruption, the case for growth stocks strengthened as the crisis unfolded

Gary Robinson, co-manager of the Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust, explains why he thinks the major behavioural shifts we’ve seen in recent time are here to stay, and talks about which opportunities in particular he is most excited about.

Companies become more efficient as they grow. In the past, that involved big capital outlays and was bad news for challengers. However, as Gary Robinson explains, entrepreneurs can now rent the essential tools from cloud platforms, enabling them to compete more easily.

Integrating ESG into company research requires rigour, nuance and a long-term perspective says Marianne Harper Gow.

Roderick Snell and Sophie Earnshaw, co-managers of the China Growth Trust explain why they are excited about China, why they believe Baillie Gifford is the right manager for the trust, and what their investment approach will look like.

Jon Henry, client director, talks to Charles Plowden and Spencer Adair, investment managers on the Global Alpha Team, about their investment approach, the performance of Monks, how the Trust is positioned and what we are excited about moving forward.

Roderick Snell and Sophie Earnshaw, co-managers of the China Growth Trust talk to Alex Blake, Investment Trusts Director, on why we’re excited about China, why we believe Baillie Gifford is the right manager for the trust, and what our investment approach will look like.

Investment manager Iain McCombie gives an update on the positioning and activity of the Baillie Gifford UK Growth Fund portfolio.

We are in an era of great convergence. The Health Innovation strategy seeks to support this era of change by looking out for innovative and pioneering companies that have the potential to bring substantial improvements to human health and healthcare systems.

Charles Plowden explains how long-term stewardship is one of the four golden threads that weaves together to form the Monks investment strategy.

For Full Year 2019, updating on contributions towards a more sustainable and inclusive world.

First to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, the Asia ex Japan region is in robust health and its innovative companies are thriving. Roderick Snell surveys the Asian landscape and argues that Asia is where to look for superior long-term growth.

You can’t predict the future, but you can prepare for it by investing in those businesses that will help create it. Jenny Davis turns to history to provide some context as to why she believes the unsung heroes of the modern economy will be the titans of the future.

Technological developments over recent decades mean reality has outpaced the science fiction of his youth since Mark Urquhart joined Baillie Gifford almost 25 years ago. Now, scanning the Covid-19 driven global economy, he sets out his enthusiasm and expectations for the next decade and beyond.

Praveen Kumar, investment manager of Japanese Smaller Companies Fund and Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon PLC, explains how Covid-19 will accelerate changes in the behaviour and working practices of corporate Japan and why this should result in numerous growth opportunities for fast-growing, nimble and disruptive smaller business.

The true meaning of investment has been buried in a flurry of jargon, pseudo-science and fixation on quarterly results. Baillie Gifford partner Stuart Dunbar backs a return to basics.

We’re living longer, but are we living better? Baillie Gifford’s Health Innovation team is searching for companies whose cutting-edge science and innovative therapies are redefining healthcare. Put simply, healthcare has never looked as good for those seeking more from their investment.

Yields at low or even negative rates have prompted questions about the relevance of investing in bonds. Phil Annen remains a fan. And he explains why, insisting this is an asset class that can still form a key part of an actively-managed, balanced portfolio and offer attractive returns.

The best investment advice doesn’t grow old. When former Baillie Gifford Partner Edward Hocknell wrote ‘How to Invest in Equities and Stay Sane’ back in 2012, ‘global pandemic’ was just one on a list of scenarios for business continuity managers and civil servants to plan for.

Medical developments are increasingly dependent on technology. Baillie Gifford investors look at some of the more innovative companies and their importance in the current pandemic, as well as considering how the situation we are living through will lay the foundations for a new era in healthcare, underpinned by data.

James Dow, co-head of Baillie Gifford’s equity income strategies, argues that dividend investors should avoid traditional high-yielding stocks, which are likely to disappoint given probable constraints on their reverting to the pre-crisis mean. The task, he concludes, is to look ahead to the global, high growth companies likely to be big providers of the future.

Are the abrupt changes brought about by the coronavirus (Covid-19) temporary or permanent? Dave Bujnowski considers how a post-coronavirus future may look, and where the biggest changes might be.

In a time of great uncertainty, staying positive is easier said than done. Amidst the personal and professional challenges we all face, it can be hard to remain optimistic. Our experience of investing for Positive Change tells us that optimism is the only way forward.

With a pandemic causing dramatic falls in global stock markets, these are anxious times for investors. But as Baillie Gifford partner Scott Nisbet explains in our podcast series Short Briefings on Long Term Thinking, the firm has witnessed similar shocks before.

Investment manager James Dow gives un update on the The Scottish American Investment Company P.L.C.

Fifty years after Apollo 11, can a fresh wave of innovation in space technology open new frontiers and promising investment opportunities? Investment manager, Luke Ward looks across the gulf of space and gives us his views.

We’re living longer, but are we living better? Baillie Gifford’s Health Innovation team is searching for companies whose cutting-edge science and innovative therapies are redefining healthcare. Put simply, healthcare has never looked as good for those seeking more from their investment.

Investment managers Steven Hay and James Dow reflect on the first full year of the Multi Asset Income Fund.

Investment manager Toby Ross discusses recent investment, Watsco.

Managers Stephen Paice and Moritz Sitte on the Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust plc.

The big four incumbents in robotics are gearing up for a challenge. In a reshaping global industry, they are readying themselves for the march of the cobots.

Our support of inquisitive people plays a crucial role in our investment research. Discover more in our academia anthology.

An accompaniment to our annual Impact Report using a different lens to look at the contribution of the Positive Change portfolio to society.

Toby Ross on how we engage on responsible taxation.

Investment managers Iain McCombie and Milena Mileva give an update on the Baillie Gifford UK Growth Fund plc and discuss some examples of companies within the portfolio that show exciting growth potential.

Investment Manager, Kate Fox explores how fashion might evolve from eco-culprit to eco-warrior, and where investment opportunities might arise along the way.

Governance and Sustainability analysts Michelle O’Keeffe and Laura Thomson answer some of the most common climate change questions they are asked in relation to climate change and Baillie Gifford’s position regarding it.

With online companies currently dominating sales, it is widely expected that the need for tangible stores will continue to decrease, but Baillie Gifford has spotted a rise in forward-thinking companies who are utilising physical spaces to provide an innovative and interactive shopping experience.

Results season has been in full swing for the last few months. James Dow and Toby Ross, co-managers of SAINTS, chalk up the scores at the end of a year that has left them feeling optimistic about the future.

In Baillie Gifford we have a very different perspective on 2018, and hence the future, than the one you will be used to reading about.

As lifespans increase, more of us will inevitably encounter Alzheimer’s. Thankfully, new advances mean that we may be approaching a breakthrough in treating the disease. The Death of Alzheimer’s asks how Baillie Gifford can support this effort.

The investment management industry is often accused of failing to put clients’ interests first. Tom Coutts investigates and considers what we should be doing differently.

The Baillie Gifford Responsible Global Equity Income Fund is the first and only fund of its type in the Global Equity Income sector.

The task in hand is to remind our clients what investing actually means. Stuart Dunbar makes a passionate plea for 'actual' managers to demonstrate that we have our clients' best interests at heart.

Japan often has a reputation for low dividend payments. Investment Manager, Karen See explains why this has not always been the case in the past and might not be in the future.

Join Toby Ross and James Dow, SAINTS’ joint managers, on their travels as they seek out the companies from across the globe that they believe can deliver a dependable and growing income along with capital growth.

Many patients with kidney failure face an agonising wait for a donor or a life on dialysis. However, as Julia Angeles writes, new technologies may offer a brighter future.

Technological evolution continues to occur at an ever-increasing pace. Douglas Brodie looks at some of the areas likely to see the greatest change in the coming years, and the investment opportunities that will open up as a result.

Stuart Dunbar discusses the woes of what our industry has become alongside the potential opportunities presented by its somewhat over-evolved state.

Investment manager Julia Angeles strikes an optimistic note as she explores some of the recent developments in healthcare, which one day she hopes will bring an end to cancer.

Joe Faraday shares his enthusiasm for the importance of cities as growth drivers, explaining how access to world-leading academics and their research has shaped his thinking.

Julia Angeles, an investment manager in the EAFE Alpha team, considers how scientific developments have led to changes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and why the current rate of progress is set to accelerate in the coming years. Angeles also explains why she opted to undergo genomic testing.

Although widely admired for intelligent, insightful writing that engages readers, this page-turner has never featured on literary bestseller lists. Nor has there been a scramble for the film rights. But Baillie Gifford’s Trust magazine is a classic in its genre, having earned many plaudits and industry awards.